Accomplished gambler and noted professional poker player Phil Ivey was denied a payout of £7.8 million by a London casino last year, and the Daily Mail says that is because he is suspected of exploiting a card manufacturer’s error to read the back of the cards. As we shared with you last year, Ivey won £7.8 million playing a game called Punto Blanco at Crockfords, an upscale, private casino in London. Though he initially lost around $800,000 at the game, Ivey and a female companion went on a hot streak over the rest of his first night and the next two nights. Ivey requested that the casino deposit the money into his bank account. They initially agreed to the payout, but they changed their mind after learning that Ivey’s partner had her membership revoked from another casino. They only returned his $1.6 million bankroll. Investigators were flown in to speak with the casino’s employees and review surveillance tapes. Now the Daily Mail is explaining what the casino believes was going on. Crockfords believes Ivey and his partner were reading the back of the cards, which were flawed due to a manufacturer’s error during the cutting process. Apparently the backs of the cards did not all have a full geometric pattern like they’re supposed to, which allowed Ivey and his friend to read the cards. They started off gambling £50,000 per hand and later tripled that amount. Ivey’s partner reportedly convinced the dealers to hold up the cards and give them a full 180 degree look at the cards. They also reportedly convinced the casino to reuse the same cards the next day, which is a departure from the typical practice of destroying cards after sessions. Ivey’s partner, who is also from Las Vegas, reportedly teamed with a few others to win over a million dollars at casino using the same method. They had their payout withheld by the casino, and the gaming commission upheld the decision. Ivey says he did nothing illegal and is suing to get the money. Do you think he should get it?

pay the man, if they were suspious they should have addressed it as they found it. they had no problem taking the 800k he lost. they should pay the man what he won, they are making money not losing, that is for sure.

Wow! Totally surprised by the general consensus of the comments. But, then perhaps I should consider the audience for this story. Still, I had hoped for better. I've been a victim of gambling addiction in my family, so I'm no friend of casinos, but this is a simple case of cheating. Clearly, the game is supposed to be played with cards that can not be "read". Whether a manufacturer, casino, or dealer, or anyone else made a mistake or did something improper, is not the point. What is this world coming to when people support cheating? People try to cheat at gambling all the time, but that doesn't make it right. Again, I think casinos are a blight on society, but if a person chooses to gamble, they should not complain if they get caught cheating. And they sure as hell should not feed the sharks (lawyers) with groundless lawsuits.

Absolutely he should be paid. The casino messed up. That is not his fault. He took advantage of a screw-up on their part. That is their fault. If I were a patron of that club, I would never go there again. They're just going to deny a payout because they don't feel like paying for their own mistakes. How many times has something happened to someone who isn't Phil Ivey and so it didn't get the same coverage. They really need to pay him, and hope they haven't rubbed so many people the wrong way that they go down. Hard to believe this can happen. Oh, the pitcher meant to throw that curve in the dirt, not hang it up out over the plate, lets take back the runs from the HR.

Your anology is terrible and does not reflect the issue. A better anology would be the bat manufacturer made the bats corked, or made the baseballs harder and lighter only for certain teams, then after those certain teams were hitting dozens of homeruns a game, and they figured out what the issue was, then took the homeruns back. If you want to use the bad pitch analogy, the would coincide with an issue of Ivey playing against a bad player that was giving away his hand in which case you would be right, with that analogy, it wouldnt be fair to deny Ivy his money. But that is not this story. Nice try though. All you people complaing, I'd bet if it were your casino, and some jerkoff like Ivey came in and bilked you out of millions of dollars by cheating, Im sure you would all be more than happy to hand the money over. Get real.

The Casino employee was braking rules for using the same deck of cards the next day and showing the back of cards to Phil. This is more like the Batter (Phil) at the plate knew the signals the catcher (Casino employee) was giving to the pitcher and was getting hits on any of the pitchers on that team. At the end of the game the losing teams manager reported this so called cheating to the baseball authorities and the all hits this player had were taken away. It is not the batters fualt he was able to figue it out. You can't take away his hits beacuse you feel you were not careful enough to be more secretive with pitch signaling to the pitcher.

"jdwilli09's" anology might of been wrong but everything before the anology was right on. If the Casino doen't like it then they should only employ people that will always follow card deck changing policy. You can't change the rules just because an employee made a mistake.

Bottom line the casino agreed to a game and the card was flawed for everyone. The cards are their responsibility. He did not do it to the cards or go into the casino to defraud.

@sbezeau1 Your off. Corked bats would be intentional. This is argued as a mistake in the card. We haven't seen this card and don't know the level of flaw and how noticeable it is. Either way most casinos change decks even dealers continuously. Not just, end of day or session. Odds are the casino was miss managed, then one of the top poker players of all time wants his money.

I'm sorry it's more like somebody gave the player steroids, it doesn't matter that he didn't ask for it he still knowing took the steroids knowing it would enhance his play. If he could read the cards he should have asked for a new deck. Poker is supposed to be about reading the other players to figure out what is in his hand, knowing what is in the other players hand is cheating.

This is where you are wrong, yes the casino messed up by not destorying the deck, and holding up the cards for Phil to see. The reason Phil is in the wrong is he had inside information from his partner who knew the deck was flawed, and he used that to his advantage, Phil also requested the same deck be used the next day because he knew a different deck may no longer give him an advantage. This is like using inside trading in the stock market which is also illegal.The casino did not know the cards were flawed, but Phil's companion did and they used that knowledge to cheat the casino. Without the inside knowledge Phil most likely would not have won or if he did not to this extend. They were right refund his money and ban him from the casino.

Yes he should because he did nothing wrong. Those are the casinos cards he was playing with and if he discovers a way to gain a advantage counting the casinos own cards. Well that just sucks for the casino, you win some and you lose some! If I was Phil Ivey, damn right I would be sewing that casino for my 12 million.

I worked in a casino for 13 years dealing all card Games. First and foremost the cards are checked both sides up and down all around by dealer / surveillance ... ( which includes the backs for design flaws ). Decks are changed in poker, "when a NEW SET UP" is ordered by a player. Which may happen several times during a shift . If Mr. Ivey was playing black jack, the same procedure. All decks must be checked 4 ways by dealer, then floor person...with surveillance watching... Most casinos change decks every 8 hours, with the very same procedure. Unless Mr. Ivey, some how was marking his cards, I don't see how this could be his problem. Pay the man ! best of luck Mr. Ivey .

Phil Ivey is a pro and does not need an error on the back of a deck of playing cards to help him win. And, he would have to have some one heck of a brain to commit all those cards to memory the first time he saw the deck and it was used in the game. And, if the casino did not destroy the deck of cards after the game and did reuse them....well, that's on them. He should definitely be paid his winnings.

Of course he should be paid. The casino can sue the card manufacturer for the payout, but that is not the gambler's problem - nor should it be. If the casino decide, for some odd reason, to deal the cards face up, everyone would think it was weird, but no one would blame the gambler for taking advantage .....basically, that's what happened here.

Simplify the question. Assume I am a casual gambler, and the dealer opens a new deck. I immediately see that the four Aces have a defect in the pattern on the back of the card, but apparently no one else does. I win $1000 before some idiot points it out to the dealer. Should I get to to keep the $1000 -- Hell Yes!! But the point is the same rule should apply. Unless it is a written rule conspicuously posted in the casino, Ivey and friend deserve THEIR money. If he needs an attorney, I will volunteer, for a %, and even wear a ridiculous wig to court.

If, as you imply, you ARE an attorney, I would recommend that any potential client run like hell the other way if they see you coming. No one in their right mind would hire an attorney who doesn't know the definition of the word "volunteer".

I actually was a casino (gaming) manager in Tahoe ... the fact they asked for the SAME cards to be used would of set off a nuclear alarm for me ... and cards from a 2 dollars black jack table are not used again .. much less from a high end game of Any kind ...

ALSO ... when a player asked a dealer to hold cards a different way than they are required too .. WELL, only a pit boss or higher can make a dealer do anything > NEVER a player ... another nuclear alarm goes off

Now .. the fact the cards may or may not of been up to quality is well .. lets just says makes me wonder what kind of gaming managers & surveillance this casino had that they didn't notice a thing like this .. no way cards like that would of ever gotten by me or others where I worked in Tahoe.

may i go back in my life and decide which mistakes i should be responsible for and a refund on those "i didn't do"hello mr casino-life doesn't work that waypay the man and "deal" with the employees that screwed uplike sue them for restitution

The casino provided the cards and had an opportunity to switch them out. The casino's are known for trying to get out of paying big winners. Many people win at slots and they say the slot was broken and shouldn't have paid out and they give you a complimentary breakfast and free hotel stay instead of your million dollars. Casino's are scams.

Hey SaintsGeaux! You must own this casino or are one of the employees of this casino that screwed the proverbial pooch! How can anyone in their right mind say that he should not be paid? He paid his money to play, played and won. How in the world does a csino let a deck of cards stay in play that long is beyond me.

So Mr. SaintsGeaux, since you are out of a job, come to America, we seem to be giving everyone a free ride these days, and you may even find your way back to a casino job because you are definitely not an attorney. Any attorney worth his salt would look at this casino and say:

NICE TO SEE YA! WOULDN'T WANT TO BE YA! PAY THE MAN HIS MONEY BECAUSE IT IS HIS!

Hey....if the cards were flawed so that the player could read them, then he didn't win anything. Clue #1, he asked for the same cards for the next night. The casino paid him his original bankroll and he walked out not losing but not gaining by cheating either. Reading cards is called CHEATING!

The casino decides what cards to use. If you can gain an advantage with the tools the casino provides you, you are well within your rights to use what the casino gives you. The casino will watch your betting pattern and will ban you if they think you are altering your betting pattern. If they think you are winning too much they will switch decks, dealers, tables or move you to another room. I think if you find a glitch in their system go ahead. The casino agreed to use the same cards the next day, so they confirmed that there was no advantage to the player with that deck. These casinos use all type of scams to deny players their winnings. They say the slots were broken, the table lights were too bright and other scams. Just give this guy his money and keep your bad reputation.

Pay Mr Ivy his money. If the casino was STUPID enough to reuse the same cards FOR 3 DAYS I think it is their fault for any "misdeeds" they allege. Another "error" is the casino's excuse of a card makers " irregularity's" , IT WAS THE CASINO'S CARDS THAT WERE USED! Finally anyone knows that gambling is ALWAYS DONE AT THE PERIL OF THE CUSTOMER as that the "house" ALWAYS HAS THE ADVANTAGE. Now they are trying to relieve themselves of responsibility and they should not be allowed to get away with it. Mr Ivy should prevail, or there was no real way he would have ever won on a rigged game. That "up scale" casino should have it's license revoked.

So If my basketball team has players 6ft tall and yours have players 5ft 11in tall. I am using your teams flaw of 1in as an advantage. Better stop all sports. Yerkiddinme has decided all soprts teams must be all equal, equal weight, equal height, equal age.

I know that the casinos frown upon card counting but it seems that there was no need to count cards here. I assume that the casino had no dealer rule about using new deck of cards even # of games, or else the batch that was used all had the same flaw. Either way, Mr. Ivey won and the casino needs to honor it. Otherwise, everyone needs to stop going to Crockfords casino and any other casino owned/ operated by the same conglomerate. Obviously they will not pay when you win.
He needs to sue them for fraud to in clude what his winnings were and any lawyer fees / court costs needed to recoup them.

i could see not paying him if he brought his own cards or something but since it was the casino's cards they were using how could they accuse him of cheating? sound's like they just ripped him off and i hope he get's his money.

I think this London casino better have confirmed evidence that this infraction definitely took place and not just speculation. It could wind up costing them way more than the payout they have with held. Such as a defamation of character suit for labeling one of poker's most prominent player's a cheat!!

The casino does everything to stack the deck in their favor and then cries uncle when they erred? Wow, some nerve! On top of that they alledgedly got talked into using the same cards? If they did, whose fault is that? Sounds like the casino and their employees need three promotions to become idiots. PAY THE MAN.

Apparently, you don't understand this. If the allegations are true then Ivey exploited a defect to take advantage of the house. It's no different than those people who would use bright lights in slot machine hoppers to blind the payout mechanism. It's no different than counting cards in blackjack.

You are right about the blackjack, but counting cards is NOT cheating, it's frowned upon but not technically cheating. Every blackjack player attempts to count cards, generally. Noticing when there are more big ones than little ones. They just don't all have the same memory and math skills. But the act of attempting to ascertain when the ideal time to place bigger bets is not cheating, unless you are introducing NEW equipment (and your brain does not count as new equipment). Everything in the casino is designed to make you lose, it is the casinos job to make sure that the deck is proper, not the players. What about all the players that LOST money playing with those same decks (that didn't notice the flaw), do they all get their money back... That may need to be the next class action lawsuit, if they get away with denying Ivey his money. And their should be plenty of video surveillance to see who was playing with those cards. If you set all the rules and provide all the equipment and I still win, then I WIN.

You know little about gambling.Counting cards is not cheating nor is it illegal: it just isn't tolerated. Trying to impact the normal function of a piece of gaming equipment in any way by any means is illegal.

This story has either not been reported accurately or does not make sense.

In the game Punta Blanco, which is essentially Baccarat, neither the player nor the house has any skill decision to make. Once the cards are dealt, strict, predetermined rules dictate whether the player or the house gets additional cards. Therefore, knowing which cards the dealer might have, would make no difference because you could not draw a card in a situation where you'd normally stay; nor could you stay in a situation where you'd normally draw. It is 100% a game of chance. Only a few, rarely played, forms of Baccarat allow any decision making for either the player or the house (banker). If that was the case, then the story is reported incorrectly because they were not playing Punta Blanco.

If there was decision making involved, and Phil Ivey did indeed find a way to "make better decisions" based on the cards supplied by the house, in their establishment, under their rules then I believe he should be paid. If the casino has a gripe, let them sue the card manufacturer for not printing cards up to their specifications.

Phil Ivey deserves the money. If the allegations are true, then the casino has a precedent to change their rules but for this example nothing is documented. It just goes to show that nothing ever changes, the house is in business to empty your pockets and not to fill them.

Phil should be the money. I gamble for pleasure and when entering any tournament everyone pays. The casino already got their share, the $11 or $12 are the winnings. Who keeps that? Did that split it with all the users.

No. It's just the way casinos push the multi-bilion dollar weight around. If what was said in the this article actually happened over a 2 or three day period of time, this casino would not last too long. No gambler tells a casino how to how the cards they have asked them to deal.

He cheated plain and simple. If the other players there did not have the same advantage of winning as he did, thats simple thats cheating. Even if he found a flaw, thats still cheating. Can gurantee you, if someone owned a company or whatever and found out someone had CHEATED you out of that much money, im sure all of us would give that guy the bird.

Also -- if the Casino provided the cards -- which they did -- then THEIR dealers must have seen the flaw...and cheated all other players who came to that table over a period of months, or...is it years? (everyone who LOST money using THOSE cards -- should now get a refund!)

If we were playing golf -- and I handed you a golf ball that went 50 yards farther than mine...and I AM THE ONE WHO INSISTED that you play with that ball, and no other...how am I then going to say that YOU cheated ME?

I may have to have my head examined for stupidity -- but I couldn't use that as an excuse not to pay you. Since I was the one who insisted that you use that ball -- I would just have to suck it up and pay.

How wrong you are! The casino had the responsibility for the cards integrity. Phil Ivy may have noticed a bias with the cards and taken advantage of that bias. This is what handicaping is all about. The Casion's marked cards could be used by Casino operators to cheat all the patrons. Phil Ivy did not cheat, he was just aware of the cheating the Casino was doing and compensated for it legally.

He should be paid his winnings. The casino doesn't have a shred of evidence to substantiate their allegations.The casino can believe what they want but they shouldn't have the right to make claims without any evidence of cheating.

Would the Casino return his money if he lost 11.9 mil using the suspect cards & will they now return every other customers/gamblers money that lost for all the time they used these cards. Or does this only work their way if a customer/gambler wins. Also, if they want his winnings, they should also go after every other players winnings during this timeframe the suspect cards were used.

It's also possible the casino intentionally uses suspect cards to give them an out if there is a big winner. "Nice Business"

Will the cards the casino submits as evidence be the actual cards used in the game or do they keep a "Special" deck around for occasions like this? Who took advantage of who??? This could go either way!!

He should be paid even if what they say is true which I have a hard time believing because the cards mostly stay on the table unless you have x-ray vision each and every card would have to be held up to the lights to be seen.

I worked at a casino for two years as a floor supervisor. The casino's are scams. I know for a fact they can make slot machines not pay out. There was a machine paying out small jackpots about every 15 minutes. My manager was told about the bank and machine number and he watched it on his computer. He called the tech. and told him when the person took a bathroom break etc. to go in and adjust the machine. Well the lady went to the bathroom and he went into the machine and adjusted it. She came back catching him and ask him what he was doing. He said he seen something wrong with the slot machine and had to check it. After that no jackpots. I witnessed this and it is true. Gamblers play card games, your chances are better at winning, believe me

I do not know if he should win his lawsuit, but one fact that was not mentioned is most likely the casino would not take a loss since the payout should be covered by the total buyins, and there will be most likely an out of court settlement.

Okay, this is just LAME and a crock. If he was able to read the back of the cards, then EVERYONE in the game should have been able to do the same. PAY HIM HIS MONEY OR LOSE MONEY FROM THE LACK OF BUSINESS IN THE FUTURE FORM EVERY DAY PEOPLE COMING TO THE CASINO.

He should be given the money. Every card player at the table had the same advantage. Phil did not have an "unfair advantage" which is the definition of cheating by many. In addition the casino should not be rewarded for their stupidity. Not changing decks? You must be joking?

From a casino manager point of view, yes he shuld be paid because he only exploited a weakness, he did not cheat, he did not mark the cards and if that same scenario had happened here in Vegas, he would get paid but laws are different in other countries so I doubt he will get his money. Now as having dealt with him personally on many occasions I hope he never sees a dime because he is an absolute horrible human being. He treats people like dirt and believes he is better than everyone else. He truly is the scum of the earth. And also his credit lines have been suspended all over Vegas because he's a deadbeat and his exwife cleaned him out. LOL!

The casino supplied the cards - the casino allowed the bet limit to be raised - only the casino handled the cards. I find it really impossible to believe that the casino allowed the same cards to be used the next day... and then the dealer held the cards up in the air??? And no pit boss or manager questioned that?? If they did all that, and the cards were also defective, then they were defective for all other players too.. this is a really naïve way for a reputable casino to operate. They owe the money - and should fire everyone. Lets face it - Phil always gets a funny look in his eyes when he focuses on cards - and he has a reputation to uphold - He filed suit because not only is the casino refusing to ante up, but they have implied that he cheated. Why ruin your livelihood by cheating??? Give me a break!

Phil Ivy should be paid! The Casino had the responsibilty to buy unmarked cards. If a player notices a bias and then makes a killings because of that bias he has not cheated and deserves to be paid. On the other hand the Casino could be charged with cheating as their cards could also be read by their dealears, giving the house an illegal advantage.

Pay the man. I think he did get greedy though. If in fact he did see something about the cards, I would play for awhile and then cash in. Win a few million then get out, no alarm, no problems. Don't start doing things that will start flags flying. Easy for me to say, I'm happy about winning a $100 bucks when I leave a casino.

First of all, the casino dealer is supposed to check the cards prior to them being put in play. Second, the casino broke its own rule by allowing the cards to be reused let alone be held up where someone standing behind the dealer would be able to read them. Most importantly, I doubt this was the only deck with this flaw, has the casino refunded the lost monies of the other gamblers that night who were playing with a flawed deck? Time to payout!!!

Good grief!!!1. The cards were mismarked for all the players sitting at the table....anyone of them could have read them.2. The cards dealt are the responsibility of the player holding them....if you keep them in your hand they are infinitly harder to see.3. Ever play poker?....just how f**ked up were these cards that they could read the backs accross a table under the scrutiny of the rest of the players?4. How do you read the backs and determine what the front of the card is....do they look at the cards before the game?5. Just to reiterate...if you are reading the backs of someone elses cards....what is keeping the others from reading yours?

Pay the man. He pays attention. I do think he got greedy though. I would have won a few million then cashed out, not raising any flags and played something else for awhile. Of course this is easy for me to say since I'm delighted to walk out of a casino $100 dollars ahead.

The Casino didn't want to make the payout so they rigged the whole thing. Casinos dont hold cards overnite at the end of shift used cards go away. And then they find a scheme to read marked cards in 24hrs they figure the whole thing out. This aint TV or CSI they dont solve crimes like that. Sure looks like a setup to me.

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!

Company Info

Help

What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.